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We're just relaunching in January 2012 with a new angle. DSLR Blog will be about images and their stories (we also write about other topics on Photography too). We welcome submissions from any type of photographer - from baby portraits to gut-wrentching humanitarian photography to pure art. Read our submission guidelines.
Category Archives: Selling Photos
The Changing Landscape of Professional Photography
Until recently, becoming a professional photographer was a serious financial commitment, with the cost of cameras, film and development presenting a significant barrier to the dilettante. Dipping your toe in to get a bit of practice under your belt before deciding if it was the right career for you could be a very costly endeavor. Now, with the proliferation of cheap, reliable digital cameras available from high street stores like Curry’s (see their website for affordable, quality cameras) it’s easy for the amateur photographer to test the water before making a career of it. The limitless nature of digital technology, and the ease with which post-production techniques can be employed to manipulate images, has opened the door for a generation of casual snappers to consider turning pro.
But with this accessibility comes increased competition for work. How do you get your work seen and, more importantly, published? For real money? Continue reading
9 Steps to Start (or Jumpstart) Your Photography Business
If you’re an advanced enthusiast serious about making it as a pro, here are nine practical steps you can take to start the transition. These steps will help you break inertia, make your first sales, and establish a solid foundation on which to build.
1. Find your niche and start shooting in it.
Most enthusiasts shoot what they want, where there at, without any overarching logic. They produce a haphazard collection of different images. Then they try to sell the resulting images. Shoot first and then find a market. Pros do just the opposite: they know their market, and then shoot for it. They specialize, get to know buyers in their niches, and shoot deliberately and strategically to deepen their portfolio in their chosen areas. Starting tomorrow, spend some time figuring out where you want to specialize, and from now on spend your precious shooting time in those areas. Unless you live in Kansas and are determined to have your niche be Central American travel photography, it’s not that hard to build a solid portfolio. Just give yourself a highly targeted list of assignments. Do some at-home product shoots, or portrait or engagement sessions with family or friends. Assign yourself to cover at least 10 mammal species at the local zoo, or spend some time at some local wild areas. Take it seriously – learn about the animals or natural areas you’re covering. As long as your niche is something close to home, you can build a portfolio relatively quickly. Continue reading
Do you need a portfolio?
Short answer: Yes, but not in the way you think.
For most photographers, the word “portfolio” evokes images of a physical “portfolio” of images, often in a big black portfolio case, that represents who you are as a photographer. There are still a few situations when such classic portfolios are relevant—for example, if you are applying for a prestigious art gallery, going to visit a high-dollar commercial photography client, or meeting in person with prospective wedding clients.
But for most photographers most of the time, the traditional “portfolio” has always been of limited value. That’s not to say most photographers don’t use portfolios. Indeed, every time a photographer sends a submission to a magazine, stock agency, or other prospective buyer—whether slides, prints, or an email with digital images—that photographer is sending a portfolio. In this case, each portfolio is different, depending on the client.
Today, however, the portfolio concept is taking on yet another connotation. In the digital era, your website is your portfolio. Continue reading
Write a Marketing Plan for Your Photography Business
Today, pro photographer and fellow Photocrati contributor Steve Buchanan offers some advice on marketing plans for your photography business. Steve is a commercial photographer in Maryland. His work can be seen at www.buchanan-studios.com.
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When is the last time you updated your marketing plan?
This is of course assuming you have a marketing plan. If you do – good for you. If not – get on it. I certainly don’t want to hold myself up as a model of small business marketing. I have definitely made my share of mistakes (and will hopefully continue to do so) but I have invested a lot of effort, time and even some money into learning about what works and what doesn’t.
I’m not here to tell you what will work for you and what won’t because those will be different for each photographer. Your particular market, the type of work you do and your geographic location all come into play when determining the right mix. The point I want to make is that all successful marketing campaigns have a few things in common. Continue reading
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Portrait Photography Legal Issues Explored
Richard Wanderman poses the question of what he can legally do with his photographs of other people, one in particular of the musician Antonio Hart
A good conversation ensues, covering aspects I would not have thought of like what the venue would have to say about it. I also did not realise a press pass is not a silver bullet solution in many cases, just giving you a few extra feet of proximity a lot of the time. It seems, as with pictures of the public, a lot of the decision would come down to “reasonable expectations of privacy”; the dude was on stage at a promoted event open to the public so really shouldn’t expect to be invisible, right?
Regardless, Richard did the right thing and asked the subject of the photograph his own opinion on the matter.
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